The Wooksta: Not a Spitfire Blog

[The Wooksta!]

"I tell you, this is going to be bigger than the biggest thing you can think of."


I spent a rather productive afternoon yesterday with a quartet of Tempest IIs.  Actually, there was another three, but they hadn't got as far as being primed.  TBH, I still need to glue the wings on, which I'll be doing later. The first 4 are now tidied up and ready for paint - two are quick resprays with Aluminium and will end up as 607 Sqn machines with different roundels (one type C1, t'other type D) but the other two will have to wait until I get the airbrush out again for the Ocean Grey.  The other three I've no firm plans for, although one may well end up as another 2TAF fighter and another being yet another 6 Sqn machine.  I'm sure I've a couple more Matchbox ones sitting in the stash, although I don't think that bit is accessible right now.

I also primed a Tempest 6 and a 2 seat Sea Fury torpedo fighter.  The latter is more long term, no instant hurry, I just thought it worth priming whilst the weather was nice.  The former will be a 6 Sqn aircraft in that fetching post war desert scheme.  I'm not entirely sure if it's a whif or not, but it'll eventually be written up as one.

After reading a thread on Britmodeller about tarting up the new KP Mustang - apparently there are issues with the fin and the nose, plus the wing is too far forward - I decided to have a look for some part started ones I knew I had in a box that was relatively easy to get at.  Sure enough, there's a bagged Revell Mustang in there, but also an assembled Tamiya D and an original tool Academy D.  I've a feeling I'd planned doing the latter in captured Luftwaffe markings, but that's now impossible due to my refusal to put swastikas on anything now, so I may well have to think of something else.  It doesn't have the fin fillet so it's an early one, so I'll have to do some reading to find an RAF squadron that didn't get P51Ds and go with that.

The Tamiya one - actually, there's another one somewhere at a similar stage, along with various razorback Mustangs from Frog, Monogram and Hobbyboss - was going to be a Banff Strike Wing escort, or possibly an attacker as the holes are drilled for the rocket rails.  I've a feeling I was going to do one of each, wearing the fetching Extra Dark Sea Grey over Sky scheme with the low demarcation, similar to that worn by post war RN fighters.  I think they're also going to get looked at in the near future.  I just wish I could remember where that other box of Mustangs is!

Finally, I'm going to have a look in that box of Hurricanes to see if I can advance anything in there a little further.  Really would like to finish the FR version I know is in there as I know it's at the "to prime" stage.

Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"Mike, Mike! Rick's pretend girlfriend has been crushed by a, sort of, medieval knight."


I found one box of Mustangs, but not the one I was looking for!  I went looking for a Tamiya F51D box, which I think is buried so deep in the wardrobe that some Fawn in Narnia is building it, but instead found a Hobbyboss P51C box, which I knew I had somewhere else.  I knew it held three kits - one Frog, one Monogram and the Hobbyboss.  Well, it did, but another Frog one was in there and a Revell one too. I vaguely recollect the Revell one - I knew I had one in the stash somewhere - but I can't remember getting a second.

Anyhoo, I now have a plan for this lot.  One of the Frog ones is going to be an RAF FR bird, probably in pink as I've been toying with that idea for some time.  The other three - Frog A, Monogram B and Hobbyboss C - are all going to be with the same squadron, possibly that Polish one I'd used for the MB2.

The Frog one looks a bit basic but is supposedly quite accurate in outline.  The Monogram kit is of a similar, possibly older vintage, but looks a bit slim although the wing is apparently bang on.  Hobbyboss?  Unsure, but it looks to be okay and it's going together. MFM!

Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"What about Jelly Botty, where you have to eat 18 curries?"

Progress is progressing on a series of wide fronts.

The Tempests.  The trio have now of their wings and the gaps filled, but awaiting sanding.  I'll attach the tailplanes and fill them before i start any sanding, largely to get the bulk of it out of the way first. 

The trainer version got a primer coat of aluminium earlier and after a small amount of remedial work in the cockpit adding belts, got it's canopy.  That Perfect Plastic putty does have some uses fairing canopies in.  That's all masked now, so there's a little bit of work to do around the tailwheel well and then she gets a new coat of aluminium.    Once that's done, I'll get her decalled over the weekend.  I've a feeling she was going to go with one of the Malaya based squadrons and I'm sure I have some markings on an Xtradecal sheet somewhere.  I'll do the pair of 607 Sqn ones at the same time.  I also gave an assembled Airfix Typhoon a coat of Aluminium.  Tony O'Toole gave me an idea for that one.

Hurricanes.  Three have now got a coat of primer.  One was going to be a nightfighter and has the glareshields.  I'm not entirely sure what scheme it'll end up in, either overall Night or the more usual desert scheme but with Night undersurfaces.  Still need a squadron for that one, preferably based in Palestine intercepting German raids against Tel Aviv from bases in either Syria (the evil Vichy French traitors!) or possibly Crete, although I'm not sure if the Luftwaffe could mount raids from Crete.  Build it first and write the story later.  I do have a Hurricane I with a tropical filter already in a Night scheme, so that will go with it.

The one thing that's bothering me about the Hurricanes is where did I put my Hurricane bits box?  Largely because it has the canopies, wheels, props, etc, for this lot.  It's not where I thought I'd left it and looking for it in the back room is going to be a right headache...

Mustangs.  I've got one of the Frog ones with it's wings on, ditto the Monogram one and the Hobbyboss P51C is ready to go for a coat of primer.  The old Academy D now has a coat of primer and all the wheels have had their hubs sprayed.

Work on the Blenheims goes slower.  Two fuselages are assembled and cleaned up, so I'll need to look at getting the glazing sorted out soon.  Wheels have had the hubs sprayed and the props for one are done.  Likewise for the Beaufighters.

Lots going on, but little really to show for it.  If I can get this little lot done by the end of May, even half would be good, then I can move back to Spitfires.  Although there's a Shackleton 1 that I'm itching to get cracking with.



Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"But it says here, Michael look, "Ensure machine is clean, and free from dust"!"

Bit further on, but not as much as I'd liked.  Managed to get some sanding done outside today, despite the wind blowing everything about.  The Frog and Monogram Mustangs are ready to get their u/c on tomorrow and then I'll sponge up the cockpits and get some primer on.

I've had a rethink about one of the Frog Mustangs.  I had planned to go with one as an FR in PRU Pink, but given that the kit is so grotty and old, I'd rather go with a darker scheme to hide the flaws, so I'm leaning more towards a bomber defence flight one, either in BoB colours or standard RAF day fighter colours but with a yellow nose.  Given that the early Mustangs tended to look like 109s, it may make the training just that shade more realistic.  Need to have a dig through Alan Lake's "Flying Units of the RAF" for a suitable squadron. I'll still be doing the PRU Pink FR one, but I'll use the far superior Academy kit, which I think is buried in the loft at me Mam's.

Blenheims.  Did get a bit further with one, and drilled new location holes for the aerials on two others but they seem to have stalled.  However, I did find another one, all assembled bar the engines and I haven't got a clue as to what it was for or when I did it.  Wasn't part of the trio I did earlier in the year, although I'll have to look back through the thread to check.  It does have the fighter gunpack, so I suspect that it may have been planned as a desert fighter version, attacking the Italians. I'll have to dig out some more resin sand filters for it.  Failing that, I'll nick them from an Airfix Blenheim.

The Tempests all have their tail feathers on and filled/sanded.  U/C will go on tomorrow and then off for a date with a can of primer.  The T-bird has had all the remedial work done on the aft end of the canopy, but to be fair, I'm not happy with it.  If I was to do it again, I'd start with a variety of canopies and mash it up, having the sliding sections open to show off the interior.  Still, it's ready for decalling.

Decalling.  I know I've at least a pair of Spitfires to finish decalling, possibly another two, so those plus the three Tempests - not to mention the nightfighter Hurricane - should give me a nice little line-up of new stuff to show off at Darlington next week.  This year is shaping up to be quite productive.

Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"Listen, Michael, there's no need to worry! I've got a plan with which to thwart them!"

Cooking with gas now.  The Tempests all got primed earlier, bar one which is going NMF.  New can so the finish on the latter is almost eggshell.  Two of the 'stangs also got primed but I'm really starting to dislike them.  Got the two seat Sea Fury torpedo/strike fighter primed too, so that'll get a bit further later in the week.  Also did some cleanup on another Sea Fury t-bird, although that's been modded back to Fury at the base of the tail. RAuxAF, possibly.  It should get it's u/c on tomorrow.

Blenheims.  Canopy cleaned up for the part started one, and the engines cleaned up with the intakes removed for the addition of sand filters.  Two sets of engines have had the treatment, as one set is going on the assembled Blenheim I found on Friday.  Canopy all masked on that one, so a quick brush of interior green and then a date with the primer.

Finally, got the airbrush fired up to varnish a pair of Spitfires, so a pair of Tempests got their base coat of Dark Earth (6 Sqn, Middle East), whilst a motley collection of three Tempest IIs, a Mustang IV, the Centaurus MB5 and a Centaurus Furious all got their base coats of Ocean Grey.  Pretty sure they'll need another coat but I'll do that tomorrow.  The MB5 does need some sanding and I've spotted areas on the wing leading edge of one of the Tempests that needs some too.

Boat load of props all got a coat of black, courtesy of a can of gloss black spray from the Pound shop.  I've had to substitute a pair of Spitfire De Havilland three blade props for the two Allison engined Mustangs as one was missing and t'other broken. They're close enough and I doubt anyone will notice, let alone care.  Anyway, MFM!


Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"No, but it doesn't say, "Ensure the machine isn't full of washing-up liquid"!"


Not really got much further forward, although I've got many props done and wheels painted.  I hate doing the latter.

The Blenheim If now has it's sand filters on, so that's off for a coat of primer.  I'm rethinking the scheme, which was to be a desert one, replacing the undersurface Azure Blue with Night.  It's largely so it'll fit with the two Hurricane nightfighters in Palestine.  The latter two would be defending against Luftwaffe night raiders from Crete using Syrian bases to attack Tel Aviv, so the Blenheims would be attacking said airfields.  Oops, this means I now need a standard Blenheim I bomber...  How many was I building and what where they intended to be?

The NMF Tempest is now ready to decal.  The finish is excellent and I'm just unsure what markings to give it, although I'm leaning towards another 6 Sqn aircraft.

I've a start made on a pair of Airfix Hurricanes, the fabric wing ones.  One will be a pre-war one in overall black as a nightfighter during the Munich crisis.  The other...  I'm actually thinking about getting the Alleycat Sea Hurricane I conversion and splitting it, using the hook on the fabric wing and the tin wing on another Hurricane.  It's a nice kit, I'm just finding it a little fiddly.


Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"Ah hah! Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha! Driving instructor my bottom! You're a vampire and there's no denying it!"


Finally, after much searching, and actually looking for something completely different, I have found my box of Hurricane bits.  The bits I actually need aren't in there, but at least I have the bulk of what I need to finish various part built models.  For some reason, they were in a Harrier box.

I was actually trying to find the Wellesley that Jim gave me a few years back.  I have a hankering for one in a desert scheme, having been inspired by a Wilderbeeste posted on Britmodeller.  I'd actually like to find the pair of part started Fairey Battles too.


Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"The BBC would like to warn all small children that pushing people inside old fridges is a bloody stupid thing to do."

Well, after much searching I have finally found my part started Martin Baker MB3.  I was partially right, it was in a black Heller box - the DH Mistral.  And it was in a box I would never have thought of looking in, but looked in as I was digging out a T33 Shooting Star for Gary.  So, now we have that, it can be advanced further.  Magna give you two options for the spine, both vacform, and I'm going for the bubble hood.  Hopefully, I can have it together and cleaned up for priming by the end of the week.

Edit:  the wing is back on and the tailplanes are in place.  Should have the filler on afore I go to bed and I can move forward with this one fairly quickly.  Don't like the wheels, but then again, Magna's wheels were never the best.

While I was moving stuff to get at the box it was in, I was reflecting on the sheer volume of large boxes containing RAF bombers.  Surely I can trim this down?  Consequently, an Airfix Whitley, three various Lancasters (plus there's a Frog original I'm minded to get shot of) and a Revellogawa He 111 were added to the growing pile of stuff I want to sell on. There was also numerous Airfix kits from the Home Bargains Treasure Hunt^tm that I decided I just had a few too many of and could happily part with.  Frankly, I could do with the readies.

I found the part started Airfix ragwing Hurricane that I got at Telford when it came out, so I think I may try finishing that one off as an early one in some sort of nice colourful markings that fit the period.  In another box I had to shift, I found another built old tool Airfix Hurricane I that had got as far as being painted - silver underneath, dark green and dark earth on top - that I think I was going to do as an RAAF one pre war.  There's actually quite a few Hurricanes that got paint but never got finished and I've quite forgotten what I'd intended for them!  Some of them I'd actually like done, if only to clear the boxes away.

The nightfighter ragwing is progressing.  The fuselage is together and all cleaned up and the wing is ready to go on.  Not in any hurry to get this done as I'm waiting for the wheels.

All the Tempests are now masked and ready to spray the green on.  That'll be done tomorrow and then there's the sheer tedium of using tape to mask the rest off for the undersides.  I call it very, very dull!


Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"What I need is the drill, the hedge trimmers, and some ordinary household bleach!"

Well, we progress.  All the second disruptive colours are on, with two Tempests getting the Light Slate Grey for the post war desert scheme and all the stuff needing Dark Green having that.  I also gave the Norwegian Beaufighter another coat of Extra Dark Sea Grey - two Sea Fury strike fighters and a Sea Hornet got theirs yesterday.  A pair of Hurricanes and a Blenheim If got a coat of Mid Stone.  The airbrush started playing up at that point so I decided to call it a day for the spraying.

The latter 3 are all part of the Luftwaffe attacking Palestine from bases in Crete, although as one of the Hurricanes has a recce pack it could well be late war keeping an eye on the Turkish border, or perhaps Northern Iran keeping an eye on the Russians.  If I had some post war Iranian roundels from the 1945-195 to period, I'd be tempted with an Iranian one instead.

The Mustangs are a little further forward, with the Novo one getting it's canopy - the Frog one is going to one side for now because I really dislike the kit.  So much so that I suspect that it'll never see the light of day again. The canopy on the Monogram one fought me with the  rear quarterlights, but after a conversation with Uncle Frank earlier, he suggested I cut them off and re-attach them,  so I scribed in the cuts, prised it out and snapped them off before replacing them.  I left it for a few hours and the main section is back in place.  Again, I'm not over keen on that kit and I'm not likely to do it again.  I've a pair of the Revell 96 tool if I want to do another one, but once this small Mustang lineup is done, my interest is pretty much over.  All three 'stangs will get a coat of Ocean Grey tomorrow.  I still need to sort out the screen on the D but that shouldn't take two seconds.

Sea Hornet.  This is an on but mainly off project using a Skybirds one I got for a fiver at Donnington many years back (IIRC it was possibly 1995...).  It didn't have the white metal  but I managed to get a set as part of a lot of what were largely Mosquito parts on ebay some years back (2010?)  Anyhoo, it's been sitting in a box primed for some years and I found it a few days back, dusted it off and gave the top a coat of Extra Dark Sea Grey.  I'd planned on doing it as a torpedo fighter and given that the Hornet could carry a pair of 1,000lb bombs, an aerial torpedo shouldn't be too much difficulty, especially of two of the cannons are deleted.  As I didn't have enough of the relevant torpedos, it had stalled but with having several Airfix Firedog and standard Beaufighters, I have torpedos galore, so it's back on.  Really looking forward to this being finished, as I don't have enough Hornet whiffs and I had plans for quite a few. 

I'm tempted with one or two in Kenya against the Mau Mau, and possibly supplying them to Rhodesia or South Africa.  And thought of an RAF torpedo fighter spring to mind readily too.  2TAF, late war in the Med Sea Grey/PRU Blue scheme F1s with kill markings (knocking down Ar 234 recce birds), PR versions is similar colours.  The list isn't endless but the Hornet is too beautiful an aircraft not to do in several fetching schemes.  And I have quite a few to play with...


Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"Listen, I'm the best at playing games in this house, so you better go find the others first."


Well, after digging through the Spitfires, I started digging through the wardrobe to see what else could be disposed of, as I knew there was at least one Special Hobby Tempest and a fair few old Frog kits to go.  They got found fairly quickly, so onto the pile they went, revealing the missing Tamiya Mustang box.  Fantastic!  I can now crack on with the Banff strike wing escort.  The box also contained a part started Revell Mustang III - another one! - and a Unicraft Mustang FTB.  Now that's getting passed on on Saturday, as Uncle Frank said he was after another one.

I also found a few other things I'd been looking for, such as the two Hobbyboss He 162 Volksjagers (which means the one built can now be finished as the planned Czech one) and the Matchbox Gladiator which I was considering as a 79sqn nighfighter in overall black.  They did have Gauntlets in that scheme so it's not quite such a leap.  I also located the built up Skua, along with the bits for another in the same box.  I've a feeling I have another one in a bag somewhere.


Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"Here they are, El Presidente! Soviet inspired insurgents! I'll teach you to try and assassinate the President!"

It had to happen.  I'd gone through the wardrobe and then the Spitfires weeding out stuff I didn't want, so I had to go through the Mosquitos.  Managed to weed out quite a few of the Hasegawa B.IV, largely the Revell re-box, plus some bagged Frog ones.  TBH, I've been wanting to get shot of the Hasegawa ones for a while, just didn't have the patience to dig through the pile.

What I really wanted to do was find a particular box - which just happened to be the one right at the bottom and the last one I was to look in! - which had a complete Sea Mosquito airframe in it.  It's an Airfix FBVI, to which I'd added a resin Highball bay, tropical filters, Sea Mosquito tailplanes and an ASH radar nose.  It looks like it needs a bit of filler here and there, but it's not that far from completion.  IIRC, it was to have got Korean war stripes and to have been used to attack dams in North Korea.  I'm not entirely sure about that scenario now, but finishing it off is a good idea, especially in the post war scheme with the high demarcation - Sea Mosquitos were either in the three tone scheme or overall Aluminium Dope.

Obviously, I had to go through all the boxes and thus I found some stuff I'd long forgotten about.  Again, these were largely assembled airframes and could well be turned around reasonably quickly.  One was a FBXVIII "Tse Tse Fly" but with tropical filters.  Had I intended that one for attacking Japanese shipping?  For some reason, I'd opened up the rocket attachment points but all the info I have on the FBXVIII indicates that they never used rockets.

There was another Airfix kit, although this one had got a set of Airwaves two stage Merlins and a bulged bomb bay.  I think this was to get a coat of overall PRU Blue and end up as Frank Ramsey's machine from the second "633 Squadron" novel "Operation Rhine Maiden" - IMO, the best of the novels as it doesn't have any of the characters from the first and it's before the author started churning them out to a formula.  It's actually had a coat of primer and being a simple scheme, may well end up in the paint queue soon.

The number of other part started and half assembled Mossies actually shocked me.  What had I intended for them?  One has the wings assembled and the rocket attachment points drilled out, so I'll cross it with the NFXIII kit to do a Banff strike one with centrimetric radar.  I had thought about doing that with the one I knew was assembled, but hadn't drilled out the rockets and in any case, I'd wanted to do that as a real one.

There was another which had got the SAM short early nacelles and that is largely together.  I think that may have going to be an early PR.I but now I'm thinking of an early bomber in the Dark Earth/Dark Green/Night scheme which I've been wanting to do with a Mosquito bomber for some time, largely because they never wore it.

There was quite a few Matchbox Mosquitos in various boxes, including one that I thing was going to be an inflight "633 Sqn" aircraft.  The Matchbox kit is horrid, despite being the only Mosquito kit currently available-ish in 72nd with two stage Merlins, largely because it's so simplified and designed for kids.  Like their Beaufighter, just a bit more fiddly with the alternate noses.  Yes, with a fair bit of work, it is possibly to turn them into a decent model, but the Tamiya kit is far better and I have a decent stash of resin two stage Merlins to use up.  I'm just thinking about building a few, gear up and in flight, desktop model style, in some odd and different schemes just to be shot of them.

One I definitely didn't find was a part started B.IV that was going to end up as one of the Canadian production airframes that post war was offered to Argentina.  They actually wanted Merlins and we said "No, but you can buy some Mosquitos instead."  Given that the Merlins were going to end up powering the Argentinian Mosquito analog, the Calquin, it's quite interesting to speculate on how an Argentinian Mosquito could look.   IIRC, I was going to do one in Aluminium Dope, but on reflection, I'd probably go for a two colour scheme now.  They also test flew Meteor F.3s and the Hornet.  I found two A4 boxes full of Frog and Novo Hornets...

I did find a box that contained a pair of Special Hobby DH Hornets.  Some of the resin is going to get cloned for use with Frog/Novo ones, but I think I may well butcher them for the twin boom Hornet with Vampire pod that I've been considering for some years.  They're bloody awful as Hornets but with some butchery may be better as this.

While I'm speaking of Hornets, I located a few part started Frog ones that had actually got paint and then were stripped and reworked.  Again, these may have to get dusted off.  One of these is heavily reworked and should cause somewhat of a stir if and when it appears.

Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"No, listen! We got a letter from the council! They're going to demolish the house tomorrow!"

The deadline to get the Mosquito and Sea Hornet torpedo fighters is tomorrow as it's me club night and everything is going good.  Just got the u/c doors for both to spray Sky and then varnish.  The torpedos for both need painting, but that's a five minute job and the glue is setting on the attachment points.  They just need a little filler and some clean up before I can prime them.

There's still the little matter of the props for the Hornet and they've been cleaned up.  The spinners were quite a tight fit and there was no need for glue.  In addition, I've got to clean up and refill the Magna resin Hornet drop tanks.  Provided I can get that done tonight, it shouldn't take too much to spray them at the same time as the u/c doors.  The Mosquito looks particularly different with the big 200 gallon tanks, meaning targets in the far north could be attacked.

I've enjoyed finishing this pair off, the Hornet more so than the Mosquito.  I've started looking at the part started Magna Hornet Nightfighter that was going in RAF colours - I'd swapped the wings with the Magna Hornet F3 to do the latter as a Sea Hornet in BPF colours (wonder where that one went?) - but I'm torn between doing  either Med Sea Grey/Night underneath or Dark Sea Grey/Dark Green with PRU Blue underneath.  I'm minded more towards the latter - I've a modded Mosquito NF38 that I want to finish in that scheme - but the darker colours will hide the Magna kit's roughness. 

Do another!  Yeah, you could say that, but I don't have another Magna two seater and I don't fancy buying another, even if Hannants had any left.  Plus I detest the Special Hobby kit.  The Skybirds one I have to rebuild is going back in the wartime nightfighter scheme that I did it in originally.  Having enjoyed finishing this Hornet, I'm looking at doing that one.  If only I can find it...

I don't have the same problem with the assembled Frog/Novo ones , so I may have a look at doing something with them over the next few weeks.  I know I'll have to mould and cast some replacement wheels - I spotted some resin Vampire nosegears that will do nicely for replacement tailwheels, plus I'll need do something about the canopies.  Having had a look, I've found a total five - six if you include the PR2 that I did 15 years back which looks quite dilapidated now and in serious need of some TLC and restoration.  One of those found has had some further upgrade work with plastic strip, although some may have to come off and further rescribing done. I did have a pattern of upgrades, albeit minor, for Frog/Novo Hornets, but getting newer references on the Hornet meant half of them had to go out of the window.

Schemes?  One will be a PR machine in a post war scheme.  Another has yellow applied and I've a feeling it was to have been a target tug.  Well, there were real Hornet TTs and they were in the far east and wore proper camo.  So as I don't fancy doing all that horrible black stripe malarkey, a coat of primer to hide that and possibly another it'll be another PR machine.  There's another which was going to be a remote drone, so that'll get done, because I've just got to mask off the uppers and I can spray the red.  The last one I think was to have been a standard FB, albeit with flame dampers.

Mosquitowise, I'll have a look at spraying that NF38 that's been sitting there for far too seriously long enough by far - the disruptive scheme I mentioned earlier will hide a few flaws.  Two of the ones I dug out yesterday have now been filled, primed and now being filled again.  Should have some paint on them in a few days. Still unsure of what scheme the tropical Tse Tse Fly will go in, but a dark naval scheme may well suit it.  Something in the back of my head is niggling that I may have planned the nice Extra Dark Sea Grey/Dark Slate Grey over Azure Blue scheme and have it flying from Gibraltar against U boats trying to sneak along the Spanish coastline. 

Just remembered there's another Tse Tse Fly which got as far as being decalled, but not quite finished.  Again, this was a wheels up in flight one, with a day fighter scheme and D-Day stripes under the rear fuselage (decal!  I'm not that mental).  I think it just needs a serial and a code letter then I can give it a coat of varnish and finish it off. 2TAF but I may add some yellow leading edge strips.

Finally, there's also a Hasegawa B.IV that I'd added a pair of two stage Merlins plus an Aeroclub bulged bomb bay to do as a B35. Think that was going to be a Tiger Force machine, so a quick clean up and on with a primer coat of Aluminium.  Whether or not the Falcon blown bomber canopy will fit remains to be seen...

I'm actually quite enjoying trying to empty the shelves of doom.  There's certainly quite a bit of it to get through.  Judging by the number of Beaufighters, Blenheims and Mosquitos, this could well be year of the twins.  It's certainly been productive so far.


Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"See?...God! Mike's floating! How's that done, then?"

Short one tonight.

Both the Hornet and Mosquito were finished earlier.  The Hornet kinda fought me a little - the canopy needed trimming a little before it almost fitted perfect and I had to remove the locating brackets on the u/c doors to get them to fit properly, but apart from that, it and teh Mosquito look fab.  Pics should follow later in the week, once the club photos are up on Facebook.

So, what next to finish from the shelves of doom?  Well, the Highball Sea Mosquito and the ground attack Tse Tse Fly have some priority, plus the Buckmaster that just needs it's u/c on and it's done.  There's a Magna Brigand that's needing decalled, although I'll push that one a little slower although I could do it when I do the Mossie - just remembered the Attacker prototype, so may well do that at the same time.  Maybe a Hornet or two?  I'd like the Drone done, largely because it'll be very colourful when finished.  I may well use a spray can, so precise masking will be the watchword.  And the two PR ones, although one will be easier than the other as it'll have an overall PRU blue.
Think this could be a busy week for spraying...

Honestly, there's that much part started, half done and near finished, I could fill a whole year with production and still have stuff left over.  And that's before I even think of masking the tops of the dozen or so that have been sprayed recently.


Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"Look, you agree the council must be thwarted, right?"

I haven't done as much as I'd like, although the Mosquitos have been advanced a bit - the first colour is on and whilst they could use some touch ups here and there, I'm fairly happy.  The Highball Sea Mosquito looks pretty cool, and that's before the Sky goes on.  Props are done, the Highballs are cleaned up and the air bubbles filled so they'll get primed tomorrow.  I'll have to look at serial numbers and squadron codes as Kit has kindly agreed to print me some decals.

The Tse Tse Fly looks different, so much so that I'd like to do one in Banff Strike Wing colours as all the FBXVIIIs looked somewhat drab in the standard two tone nightfighter scheme.  If it wasn't for the tropical filters, I'd be doing it as a Banff one, but I'm wedded to the transport scheme. 

There's a nightfighter Mossie that I did dig out which is going in the bomber scheme, but that's going to be kept more under wraps until it's done.  the props for it are done, plus the wheels got their hubs done yesterday.

I'd also sprayed the Blenheim I bomber in mid stone and the Vengeance got done at the same time.  I really, really detest this model, so once it's done, Martin will get it for the reserve collection.  I'm just finishing it to get rid of it.  There's about half a dozen things in mid stone just waiting to be masked off for the Dark earth to go on - Blenheims, Hurricanes, the Vengeance and an Airacobra that's been lurking in a drawer for some time.

I've a feeling it got started to go with an article on RAF P39 tankbusters in the desert.  Again, finish it and it goes to OGL.  Another one that I'm really not bothered with and I really just want to finish it to get shot.  I don't like having unfinished business and I'm not one for chucking models in the bin.

Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

"Oh dear... This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence."

Well, the Sea Mosquito has the Sky on.  Masked it up last night and sprayed the Sky earlier.  Just taken the masking off and apart from a few bits where it's pulled some paint off, it looks fab.  There's very little paint creep either.  I'm really happy overall with the scheme barring those chips, so much so I'm tempted with another Sea Mosquito in the same scheme, largely because no one has done a Sea Mosquito in the more usual FAA scheme.  Given the non-availability of the later Lockheed u/c, it'll have to be one of the early ones with the normal u/c and the standard wing.  I'll also use some better tropical filters than the Paragon ones, which are too boxy, square and don't follow the curve of the cowling properly.  Hurricane Vokes filters seem to be closest.

At the same time, I got a final coat of Ocean grey onto another Mosquito, which along with the Tse Tse Fly, will get masked off for the other disruptive colour tomorrow.  Still got the spinners to do for that pair, although I'm not sure what the Tse Tse Fly will get - either Night or Red, but the latter is perhaps somewhat passe so I may just go for Night.

For the Sea Mossie, the props are already done, painted the exhausts earlier and the Highballs themselves got a coat of Dark Green earlier.  Kit has printed me some serials which are now at the tender mercies and vagaries of Her majesty's Royal Mail - hopefully they'll arrive tomorrow or wednesday so I can get the decalling done.  I'll look at the Brigand TF1 at the same time, as Kit did some Brigand serials too, as I'd like to have that done and dusted as well.  That's yet another torpedo I'll need to steal from an Airfix Beaufighter and I'll have to dig out a Valom Brigand so I can steal the wheels for moulding.

There's a fair few bits I need to mould up apart from those wheels, which includes a rather nice Mosquito wheel well insert by a sadly defunct French resin outfit called Hi Tech.  Drops straight into the wheel well of the Airfix and Matchbox kit and the Airfix u/c sits into it quite neatly.

Comments on this thread - that is if anyone is actually reading it and can be arsed to reply - go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35118.0.html